Migrating from Point A to Point B

The migration of data from your source system(s) to your new system can be one of the most stressful pieces of any project. You can not run your organization without good, solid data. For us, there are 4 key elements with regards to data conversion.

• Scope
• Plan
• Test
• Knowledge

SCOPE: It is imperative that you define what data elements you are migrating over to your new system. We constantly hear, "We Want EVERYTHING"! That's great, but keep in mind if you are bringing over 25 years of GL history by property, by month, then you also have to VALIDATE 25 years of GL history by property, by month. Without the validation effort there is no way to know that your data imported correctly. This can be the most time consuming part of any data conversion project..but one that must take place in order to be successful.

PLAN: You've got to have a plan. Think of this as your road map to get from point A to point B. There is no google maps to get you to where you need to be. You need to know that you have to import properties before you can import units and so on.

TEST: For small property take over conversions this is not as crucial. However, for a full portfolio conversion it is one of the most important steps. Testing (or orchestrating) the final go-live conversion 1 (or more times if necessary) gives you the opportunity to correct any "surprise" issues that come in during the conversion. This allows you (and us) to make sure there is a smooth transition at go-live with all the "kinks" worked out. Additionally, it tends to the ease the mind of your project team members because it gives them an opportunity to see how the data is going to reside in the system prior to going live on the new software.

KNOWLEDGE: While we are more familiar with your new software then you are, you definately have a better knowledge of your current data and processes than we do. We will rely on your project team members throughout the data conversion process to make sure that the data will are importing is correct. This is also why we DO NOT validate client data. We will always spot check and make sure that everything "looks" correct before turning the data over to the client for validation, but the utlimate sign off must come from the client.

If your organization is interested in learning more about our data conversion services please feel free to give us a call at 214-505-4086 or email us at info@mcneillmillaway.com